Health chiefs have promised to do everything they can to save children’s services in Boston – but have said it could prove extremely difficult due to lack of staff.

The ward has been running under threat of temporary closure due to a lack of middle grade doctors.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) announced at a meeting in Sleaford today, Friday May 25, that it has made massive strides in recruiting agency middle grade doctors - although numbers do still remain an issue.

And a new threat to the children's ward has now emerged - as the Health Education East Midlands is considering withdrawing junior doctors from Boston Pilgrim Hospital.

Crowds of the public fill the room.

Dr Neill Hepburn, medical director for ULHT, said after the meeting he will do everything he can to recruit doctors and nurses to keep services running at Pilgrim.

“Whatever the outcome is, we will choose the safest for everyone in the Lincolnshire area.

“This is a difficult time for our staff and the public. We recognise that the potential loss of services causes worry and concerns to Lincolnshire people and we appreciate local services are important to the community and the hospital.

“The staffing situation is unpredictable and constantly changing and we are reliant on agency doctors and nurses which makes it difficult to plan rotas.”

Campaigner Phillip Bosworth told Lincolnshire Live he was “disappointed” as he felt there was “no positive news” that came from the meeting.

Campaigner Phillip Bosworth, founder of Boston Focus Group.

“They recognise it is morale, stress and pressure,” he said. “Uncertainty on staff makes them want to leave and they have done in their droves. It affects the ability to recruit.

“3,000 to 4,000 people are served by Pilgrim. For mums and dads to go elsewhere is a horrendous prospect.

“I think it’s a crisis that is extremely grim.”

The four options being discussed for children's services at Pilgrim Hospital

1: Maintain current services at Pilgrim Hospital, which is reliant on finding additional multi-professional staff from agencies to cover childrens’, maternity and neonatal services and getting the right balance between substantive and temporary staff.

2: Temporary closure of the childrens’ inpatient ward at Pilgrim with effect from June 4 – providing additional staffing cannot be secured.

Temporary redirection of paediatric emergencies transported by ambulance. Increase gestational age for delivery within the high risk birthing unit from 30 weeks to 34 weeks.

3: Temporary closure of the paediatric inpatient services at Pilgrim with effect from June 4. Temporary redirection of paediatric emergencies. Retaining consultant-led obstetrics and neonatology at Pilgrim until July 1 when medical staffing reduces beyond the ability to support neonatology. From July 1 temporary closure of consultant-led obstetrics and neonatology at Pilgrim until the staffing gaps can be addressed. Establish midwifery-led birthing unit at Pilgrim Hospital and a co-located midwifery led birthing unit at the Lincoln County Hospital to facilitate increased activity on the consultant-led unit.

4: Maintain current paediatric in-patient services, consultant-led obstetrics and neonatology services at Pilgrim and Lincoln Hospitals with a temporary transfer of staff. Stop all paediatric impatient and day case elective at both Pilgrim and Lincoln. Stop all general paediatric outpatient appointments.

The Trust Board has agreed to continue to run current paediatric services up to August 1 as long as safety can be maintained.